The biggest names in the PGA – Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy – will be favored to take home the title at Firestone, and with good reason. However, don’t rule out the possibility of other top players going under the radar to claim the crown. Let’s check out which of these potential sleepers some golf experts have picked for this weekend’s big tournament.
*Find the complete list of the 2017 WGC Bridgestone Invitational betting linesHERE!
Sports Chat Place
Randy Chambers of Sports Chat Place has highlighted Kevin Chappell as one of his top sleepers. Chambers notes that Chappel bounced back nicely from some poor performances to finish in the top 10 of the RBC Canadian Open, which should be a nice confidence boost ahead of the Bridgestone Invitational. Chambers also brings up the fact that Chappell finished third in last year’s event, which is why he’s a worthwhile bet at +5,000 to win this weekend.
Golf Digest
Golf Digest‘s Joel Beall has highlighted Justin Thomas as one of his picks to put on a strong showing at Akron. Beall acknowledges that Thomas has not had the best time of late after starting out the summer strong. But he believes this course plays to Thomas’ strengths and will be in contention for victory despite his +4,000 odds.
Sportinglife
Sportinglife has provided a handful of potential sleepers for the tournament. Like Beall, they included Thomas as a golfer to watch. He also included a couple more intriguing picks with Jason Dufner and Marc Leishman.
Dufner will have something of a home course advantage as he hails from nearby Cleveland, but he has failed to even crack the top 50 in the tournament over the last two years. However, he does have two top-10 finishes on his resume, and is coming off a strong performance at The Memorial despite a disappointing round three which ultimately cost him the win. At +5,000, he’s a more than decent bet to be a surprise package at Akron.
Meanwhile, Marc Leishman also warrants strong consideration at a price of +3,500 due to his strong play of late. The Aussie has put up back-to-back top-6 finishes in his last two starts at the Quicken Loans National and The Open. He also has a win under his belt this season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and finished a very strong third in the Bridgestone Invitational in 2014.
